Data from the Bar Council's Wellbeing at the Bar Report 2025 shows some improvements in wellbeing at the Bar.
The key findings include:
- In the 2025 survey, respondents reported generally higher levels of work satisfaction and wellbeing compared to 2023, with all four main wellbeing measures being higher than in the previous survey
- 69% of respondents reported they had overall good job satisfaction with their job as a whole, compared to 61% of respondents in 2023
- Although 64% of respondents agreed they currently were in a good mood, over a quarter indicated they tended to feel down or in low spirits (29%), although both of these figures are improvements on the 2023 survey, where the figures were 60% and 35% respectively
- Whilst approximately half (56%) of respondents reported they were managing their workloads well, more than a quarter (27.2%) indicated they were not managing well with their workloads
- Over 76% of respondents agreed they felt they had supportive colleagues and supportive work environments, a rise of 3% compared to 2023, and of 6% when compared to 2021
- Barristers who had experienced or observed any type of workplace bullying or harassment (41% of the total sample) reported significantly lower wellbeing than those who had no experience of this, although this was slightly higher than in 2023 (44%)
For the first time the report has also provided a series of 5 key actions for considerations.
- Expand access to therapy and counselling services for barristers
- Promote mentoring programmes and peer support networks
- Advocate for fair legal aid rates and timely payments
- Encourage chambers to support work-life balance initiatives
- Address systemic issues in court listing and judicial expectations
Dr Darren Van Laar at the Quality of Working Life Research Group at the University of Portsmouth produced the report, which is based on data collected in 2024. The survey was distributed to all practising barristers in England and Wales, except pupils.
Answers to the free text question of ‘is there anything you do that is helpful in supporting your professional wellbeing’, the definition of the themes and categories described in this section was supported by an AI analysis carried out on anonymised quotes within a secure virtual sandbox.
Download the report as a PDF:
